Free The Illusion of Annabella by Jessica Sorensen Page B

this anymore.” Nikoli tugs his red baseball cap lower as he slouches in the seat. “All you guys do is argue. When Mom and Dad died, you all lost your freaking minds.”
     
    No one speaks for the rest of the drive. When Loki pulls up to the drop off area, Alexis bails out before the truck even comes to a complete stop. It takes me a couple of minutes to gather my things, and by the time I get out, my sisters have already made it to the entrance of the school.
     
    Nikoli goes to the middle school so he stays in the backseat, but doesn’t wave goodbye to me.
     
    “I’ll pick you up at exactly three ten,” Loki hollers at me as I close the door. “And, Anna, you better be here. I’m serious. If you wander off and I have to track you down, I’m going to be super pissed.”
     
    I nod and shut the door.
     
    Honeyton’s weather has its up and downs, but mainly there are a lot of ups. We don’t really have a winter, but we do get occasional sporadic rainstorms and bursts of heat. Even though it’s December, a heat wave has rolled in over town. The campus yard is packed with students lounging on the grass, soaking up the sun.
     
    Enough time has passed since I’ve taken the pills, and I feel sublimely sedated as I push through the growing crowd toward the school with my chin tucked down. But I can feel people’s eyes on me, which is normal these days. Occasionally, someone dares to bring up the accident, like I actually want to talk about my parents’ deaths.
     
    “Hey, Anna.” Cece coyly waves to me as I pass her locker.
     
    It’s odd seeing her act so reserved toward me when she’s such a spunky, outgoing person. But what’s really mind-boggling is that I used to fit in with her smiles and giggles, pretty hair and outfits. I’d get all cleaned up to impress guys and acted silly over first kisses. That’s who I was.
     
    Was.
     
    I look down at my leg that doesn’t bend right as I walk.
     
    Another time. Another life, Anna.
     
    I fix my attention on the dinged up lockers until I reach my own, but unfortunately, Cece follows me.
     
    “I need to talk to you about something,” she says, glancing around the nearly vacant hallway. “Maybe in private.”
     
    Like Zhara, she’s wearing a cheerleading uniform and a perky smile; she’s all positivity and rainbows, and I can’t even bring myself to look her in the eye so I focus on spinning the combination to my locker because it’s easier than facing reality.
     
    “This isn’t fair, Anna. I don’t even know what I did. One minute we were best friends, and now you won’t even look me in the eye.” She combs her fingers through her long blonde hair, tapping her foot against the linoleum. “I know it’s because of Miller. Ever since you started dating him, you won’t talk to me.”
     
    “I’m not dating Miller. We just hang out.” I open my locker and exchange my backpack for my books.
     
    “I saw you at that party the other night.” Her cold tone implies she isn’t happy about whatever I was doing. “But I doubt you’d remember. You were so out of it.”
     
    Slamming my locker, I swing around her and limp down the hallway.
     
    “This isn’t fair,” she yells after me. “I didn’t do anything.”
     
    I slow to a stop in the middle of the hallway. “You’re right. You didn’t do anything. All this . . .” I gesture between us, “is my fault.” Hope flashes in her eyes, but I squash it. “But I can’t be friends with you anymore, Cece. It’s just too . . . hard.”
     
    Tears flood her eyes as she spins around and races off toward the girl’s bathroom.
     
    I go to class early, sinking further into my guilt and wishing I had more painkillers to take, wishing I wasn’t such a shitty person, wishing she’d just let me go. I meant what I said. We can’t be friends because the Anna Cece used to know died and all that’s left is a hollow shell of a person who can’t figure out what to do with herself.
     
    It’s hard